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TOKYO: Japan on Friday for the first time recognized the Ainu as an
indigenous people, pledging to support the traditionally
nature-worshipping community that has endured centuries of
discrimination.
It is a landmark move for Japan, which has
prided itself on being ethnically homogeneous but where the Ainu
have sharply lower incomes and educational levels.
Parliament unanimously approved a resolution
recognizing the Ainu and calling for “immediate” support to the
community. The move is primarily symbolic, although it will likely
open the way for economic aid.
The resolution comes ahead of next month’s
summit of the Group of Eight rich nations on the northern island of
Hokkaido, home to most of Japan’s estimated 70,000 Ainu.
The resolution submitted jointly by ruling and
opposition lawmakers stipulates for the first time that the Ainu
“are an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and
culture.”
“If our country wants to lead the
international community, it is crucial for us that all indigenous
people retain their honor and dignity and hand down their culture
and pride to later generations,” the resolution said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said
the government would respect the parliamentary resolution, but
stopped short of declaring concrete support for the Ainu.
“Our government solemnly accepts the
historical fact that the Ainu people were discriminated against and
suffered poverty in the process of our country’s modernization,”
the government’s chief spokesman told a news conference.
-- AFP
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